


The Sight of Fear

by Anorien



Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, In which Frodo is still suffering but Sam is there for him, Panic Attacks, Post-War of the Ring, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anorien/pseuds/Anorien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ommetaphobia: The fear of eyes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sight of Fear

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laura: The Biggest Frodo Fan I Know (And My Best Friend)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Laura%3A+The+Biggest+Frodo+Fan+I+Know+%28And+My+Best+Friend%29).



A pair of singing robins woke Frodo from another fitful night of sleep. The hobbit sighed, rolling over, and sat at the edge of the bed. He stared out the window, watching the birds. They hopped from branch to branch, the male chasing the female, tweeting merrily. Frodo sighed again. He had been that happy once. But months of travelling, carrying the weight of the One Ring, constantly on the run from Men and Wraiths and orcs... it had taken a great toll on him. He wondered if he'd ever be as happy as those robins again. ' _Probably not.'_

  
Remembering that Sam would be stopping by, Frodo got up and dressed himself. Sam was in a constant state of worry over Frodo, and visited Bag End at least once a day. Today was Tuesday, meaning his friend would be over for Second Breakfast. 

 

' _Second breakfast... elevenses... dinner...'_

  
Upon returning to the Shire, he found himself in disbelief that anyone could eat so much. During the greater part of the Quest, he had small bites of _lembas_ throughout the day, if that. Now back home, he often skipped meals, and when he did eat, he only picked at his food. Still, it was the custom of Hobbits to eat at least seven times a day - a custom Sam gladly took part in, and Frodo could never be rude to his dear friend.

  
Once dressed, he went into the bathroom to wash up. He splashed water onto his face. Grabbing a towel, he looked up into the mirror. He made eye contact with his reflection and stared.  
Frodo had once liked his eyes. "Wide and clear and blue as the Sea!" Bilbo used to say. Now those once clear eyes were bloodshot and full of dark memory. Frodo became lost in his own gaze. He felt his heart begin to pound and gripped the edge of the sink. He swallowed hard, beginning to tremble, seeing the veins in his eyes multiply and connect. His irises faded as his pupils turned into cat's eyes. He couldn't breathe. The two eyes staring back at him were no longer his own. Now they fused into one and turned to fire, the likeness of the Dark Lord's own eye. After what seemed like an Age, Frodo broke his gaze, fell to the floor, clutching his chest and screaming.

  
"Mr Frodo!" Sam shouted, running into the washroom. For a moment Frodo had forgotten giving Sam the extra key to Bag End.

  
"I'm... I'm fine, Sam," he panted quietly.

  
"You most certainly are not! It's one of those attacks again, isn't it?" Frodo nodded, avoiding looking into his friend's face. Sam sighed.

  
"Well let's get you up off the floor, at the very least." He helped his friend into the sitting room, slowly. Sam hurried to find a blanket, draping it over Frodo's shoulders. "I'm gonna go make you a spot of tea. Will you be alright for a moment?"

  
Frodo nodded, wrapping the blanket around him. Sam wandered into the kitchen to put on the kettle. The Ringbearer turned away, fearful to look at the old portraits of Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took. Outside the window, he saw a small cow wandering down the path. She saw the garden and invited herself in. She looked up, straight at the shivering Hobbit. She had large doe-eyes. Frodo broke out in sobs.

  
Sam came rushing back in, tea kettle in hand. He looked to the window.

  
"Oh, Mr Frodo, it's naught but a cow!" he said gently. "Though she oughtn't be in that garden, eatin' those tomatoes." He set the kettle down where it wouldn't burn anything, and went to his friend's side.

  
"I-it's not the cow, Sa-Sam," Frodo cried. "It's h-her eyes. It's everyone's eyes! I cannot l-look at them!" Sam perched on the armrest and hugged his master.

  
"It's alright, Frodo," he said, stroking the dark brown curls. "I don't much like eyes either."

  
"I saw h-him," Frodo told him, "in the m-mirror. My eyes became his!"

  
"Is that what all this is about?" Sam asked. "Don't you worry now, Mr Frodo, we're gonna figure this out. There's naught to be ashamed of, after all that's gone on!" Frodo absentmindedly pulled at the skin on his chest. The gardener sighed.

  
"Mr Frodo, why don't you ask the Elves?" he suggested. "Mr Lord Elrond knows all about these sorts of things, why not write to him about it? Perhaps he can help! Couldn't hurt, after all. Mr Gandalf might be able to help, but who knows when we'll be seein' him around here again. I wouldn't even know an address."

  
"I suppose I could try," Frodo nodded, drying his eyes with the blanket. "But what if he thinks it silly?"

  
"After what happened, Mr Frodo, I don't think they'd find anything silly about it. They know about this Ring business better than we do!" Sam glanced at the basket of food he brought with him. "How's about some food, eh? I bet you're half-starved by this hour, what with how little you eat. I even brought a blueberry pie!"

  
Frodo smiled weakly. Sam knew very well that blueberry pie was his favorite. It never failed to cheer him up. Then again, neither did Sam.

  
"Thank you Sam," he said quietly.

  
"Not at all. Now let me just get this ol' cow out of the garden. She's eatin' the carrots!"

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on a bit of a sad kick, aren't I? Really I'm just trying to clean out my unfinished works. I promise there are happy things on the way!
> 
> \- Because of visions of Sauron, Frodo has developed a fear of eyes and a fear of being looked at/stared at.  
> \- For those who don't know, Frodo's experiencing a panic attack. They're everything but fun. The one Frodo's having is similar to the kind I get myself.  
> \- Bungo and Belladonna are Bilbo's parents. Their portraits hang in Bag End, as seen in the films.  
> \- Cows wander loose in the Shire. It's a common thing, I believe (it certainly is in Lord of the Rings Online). The cow is based on a Jersey cow, a breed which had big, beautiful eyes. Unfortunately, the poor thing winds up triggering Frodo. She meant no harm, I promise. (A big-eyed cow was something that came to mind that would set Frodo off, and it made sense.)  
> \- "I don't much like eyes either". This is a reference to my friend Laura's (who is likely reading this -waves and apologizes profusely for the feels-) headcanon where Sam is autistic. Many autistic people are uncomfortable with eye contact.  
> \- Frodo is picking at his chest because he has the phantom feeling of the Ring around his neck. He's trying to pull it off.  
> \- "Mr Lord Elrond" I love Sam. I just... love... Sam. He refers to everyone as "Mr" or "Ms", commonly shoving it in front of titles. ("Mr King Thranduil", "Mr Farmer Maggot", etc.) He'll often throw a "sir" at the end. ("Mr Lord Elrond sir")
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic (and didn't cry too hard... I'm getting so many messages about people crying over my fics. I'm starting to feel evil. I'm sorry!). Like I said, more happy is on its way. Still trying to steer the ship known as Envisioned.


End file.
